Synchronizing apparatus.



0. E. KELLUM.

S'YNCHRONIZING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29.1914.

1,292,798, Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

/ pacrsmcrcmmmmacymcmm ORLANDO E. KELLUM, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

SYNCHRONIZING APPARATUS,

Specification of Letters Fatent.

Patented J an. 28, 1919.

Application filed June 29,1914. Serial No. 848,068.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, ORLANDO E. KELLUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Synchronizing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to synchronous phonographs and kinetographs and relates particularly to the combination with a phonograph and a kinetograph and synchronizing means, of means for indicating synchronism between the phonograph and kinetograph records so that each of them may be accurately arranged and placed in synchronous relation with the other and generally so that corresponding points on each record may be found and determined. It will be understood that the indicating means is not a means for causing synchronism in operation of phonograph and kinetograph, but is a means for setting the machines and their records in proper synchronous relation .and for accomplishing certain other operations as hereinafter set forth.

There are several advantages accruing from my invention among which I might mention the following: In the operation of a synchronous kinetogra-ph and phonograph, if the kinetograplr film'breaks, the kinetograph must be immediately stopped and the broken end of the film threaded through the machine before it can again be started. In the meantime, synchronism between the phonograph and kinetograph has been disturbed and the two machines must be set again in sync-hronism, so that their records will subsequently proceed synchronously. My device enables this to be effioiently and quickly accomplished. Another desirable result proceeding from my invention is that corresponding portions of synchronous film and phonograph records may be immediately and quickly ascertained. This is of great importance where it is desired to take portions of different records andpiece them together in one long record. For mstance, several different.

sets of phonograph and kinetograph records may come to a central place from different other places, and it is desired to take selections from each of these sets of records and make one set of kinetograph and phonograph records from these selections. My invention enables this to be done with great accuracy. The phonograph record may be vice, and' in which:

Figure l is a perspective illustrating my invention,

Fig. 2 is a perspective illustrating a portion of the phonograph machine.

In the drawings the numeral 10 may designate a kinetograph machine of any character and the numeral 11 may designate a phonograph machine of any eharac for. These machines may either be taking or reproducing machines or machines of any similar character. I have shown the kinetograph machine having film moving sprockets 1'2 operated by Genera movement 13 which may itself be operated through gears 11 and 15 from the motor 16, or from any other source as hereinafter described. This motor 16 is of the general character which I have described in my Patent No. 1.027.658 issued May 28th. 1912. or in my application Serial No. 836,910 filed May 7th, 1914. The sprocket 1'2 drives the film 20 which travels in the direction indicated; and, before the film emerges from the machine, it passes over the upper sprockets 21, a loop 20 being formed in the film to provide a certain amount of looseness between the intermittently driving sprockets 12 and the constantly driving sprockets 21. For the purposes of my invention, I provide the film 20 with a pair of marks or designations 2'2 and 23 thereon and these two marks are to be placed opposite corresponding marks 24 and 25 on the stationary parts of the machine when the film is adjusted in the machine. In Fig. 1, the film is shown in its starting position. There is a definite length of film between the two marks 22 and '23, this defi-' nite length being conveniently measured by a certain number of sprocket holes in the film; so that when the film breaks and it is necessary to replace it in the machine.

threading the broken end through and over the sprockets 21, or it is necessary to splice the broken film, the loop 20 may be made of proper length by knowing the number of sprocket holes which must be between the marks 24 and the marks 25. The sprockets 21 are driven in synchronism with the film driving sprockets 12 but are driven constantly. Amy driving means may be .used for sprockets 21, such as beveled gears 26 and 27 and a shaft 28, the ratios of the gearings being such that sprockets 21 are driven at the correct speed.

The phonograph machine 11 may be ofner common to the art. Preferably geared directly from the shaft 35, through gears '36, I provide a commutator shaft 37 which carries commutator brushes 38. These brushes revolve about a stationary commutator 39 having, in this case, six segments. A common wire 40 may connect with the brushes 38 through theshaft 37 while six independent wires 41 may connect with the commutator segments. These six wires 41 run respectively to the siX magnets 42 of the motor 16, these wires running to one side of the magnets while there is a common wire 43 connected to the other side of each of the magnets. The common wires 40 and 43 connect to opposite sides of battery 44, wire 43 having a suitable switch 45 therein;

The operations of the motor 16 and the electrical parts of the apparatus are substantially as described in said patent and 'in said application; with the exception that in the present case I have shown the magnets as oscillatingly mounted at their lower ends so that no pivoted connecting rods are needed between the armatures and crank shaft. The'operation of thecommutator and brushes 38 and 39 sends successive electrical impulses to the several magnets 42 which attract their armatures 42 in succession. These armatures are connected directly by connecting rods 42 to the crank shaft 16 of themotor' and this crank shaft may be connected directly to the gear 15. The phonograph and kinetograph are consequently always synchronously operated; the kinetograph film 20 is always in a definite position relative to the position .of the phonograph record 31,, or relative to the position of the reprodu'cr needle 50 on the phonograph record. I connect to the phonograph machine a suitable revolution counter 51 and connect a similar counter 52 to the kinetograph machine. Preferably,

these counters are connected directly to the started, starting the kinetograph machine synchronously with it. As soon as the machines have reached normal speed, the rec ords can begin to be made. If the kinetograph film should break, or if for any other reason it is desired to stop the kinetograph, either of the machines may be immediately stopped. If the phonograph machine is stopped, the kinetograph machine will stop with it and will remain in synchronism with it. If the kinetograph film breaks, it is necessary to stop the kinetograph immediately and this may be done in any suitable manner, as by opening the switch 45. In actual use, the two machines are usually situated at some distance from eachother and the necessity of quickly stopping the kinetograph usually precludes the possibility of stopping the kinetograph by stoppingthe phonograph. In the usual case, when the kinetograph film breaks, the kinetographwill be stopped and the phonograph the broken end of the film has passed the upper sprockets 21, as the break in the film usually takes placeat the film driving sprockets 12. The counter 52 will thus indicate the position of the film; that is, the film even when broken, will not lose its proper relation to the counter 52. The kinetograph machine must now be backed up manually and the broken ends spliced together or the following part of the film must be fed on through the machine and over the sprockets 21 by hand. If it is necessary to take out a piece of spoiled film, a splice piece of corresponding length is put in so as to preserve synchronism of the parts of the film following. In other words, the film must be proceed through the kinetograph machine; and while this is being done, the kinetograph is necessarily. moved out of synchronism with the phonograph. When the kinetograph machine has again been set ready to proceed, the phonograph machine is then set at the corresponding position; that is, the phonograph machine is turned back or forward until its counter 51 registers'the same numberas the kinetograph counter 52. When this has been done. the two machines are ready to proceed. If it is put in condition to again necessary to move both machines back' so as to repeat apart of the preceding action, this may be easily done. (I hereinafter explain means for allowing the phonograph record to be moved b ackwardly without the needle 50 losing the proper groove in the record.) The two machines may then proceed in exact synchronism as before. If, during the break in taking the records, a certain amount of record has been spoiled, the spoiled portions of the record may easily be removed when the two records are afterward copied. Thus in making record, a splice may be made in the broken film, the machines backed up and a portion of the action repeated; the repeated parts being afterward cut out of both records. Many such manipulations will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. The dubbing machine on which the phonograph record is copied is in essentials the same as the phonograph machine 11, having a counter 51. If certain' portions of the phonograph record are skipped, it is known by reference to the counter exactly what those skipped portions are; and the corresponding portions of the film may be skipped when it is printed and other films made from it. The same general procedure is used in copying the records for making records which consist of selections of numerous other records. It is not necessary to copy or reproduce the records at the same time or in interconnected machines. For instance, a certain portion of the phonograph record may be transferred to another record, the transferred portion being identified by the reading of the counter on the phonograph machine; the" corresponding portions of the film are easily ascertainable at anytime by running the film through a kinetograph machine of any character equipped with a counter corresponding tothe counter on the machine with which the film was exposed. It will be understood that, for the purposes of my invention that all machines in which either record is used will be equipped with what I term my standard counter; that is, all the counters will register alike. From the foregoing it is seen how any desired portion of any phonograph record may be copied onto another phonograph record and the corresponding portion of the synchronous film may be copied onto another film. In this manner, a single set of synchronous records may be made up which consists of corresponding synchronous parts of the individual synchronous pairs of records.

In making records of plays, etc., it is possible with my machine to make the records in installmentsa part of a play may be practised and then performed" for the machine, and then the same done with another part. In taking plays where there are a number of scenes, I may use a separate film for each scene. When a scene ends the phonograph recording is stopped, (all sound is stopped) and the phonograph itself stopped immediately thereafter. The camera 15 run a short time after the stoppage of the phonograph, by hand or otherwise, taking pictures of the actors leavin the scene, or of a still scene, or the like. started the machines must be brought up to normal speed before recording on the phonograph can begin; so that, between scenes,

. there is a blank or silent space on the phonograph record representing the time in which the phonograph slowed down and started up.

' Now this silent space on the sound record is not objectionable, but the projection of a blank on the moving picture screen would be objectionable. I therefore take the extra pictures at the end of each scene merely for the purpose of providing; some picture to project upon the screen (in reproduction) to fill in the blank space time of the phonograph. Sufiicient extra film is exposed so that the end of the film may afterward be measured and cut off to correspond exactly with the silent space on the sound record; the beginning end of the next film, after being cut back to the point corresponding to the beginning of'recording on the sound record, being afterward attached to the end of the preceding film. Of course, in doing this the two machines are moved out of syn chronism and will be put back in synchronism to start the next scene. By this procedure I am enabled to make a continuous record of different scenes with no blank pictures between scenes, and without the necessity of copying the phonograph record by use of the dubbing machine, the phonograph record being used just as it is made. With the use of the dubbing machine it is practicable to cut out any bad part of any sound record, and the corresponding part of the film may, of course, be easily cut out.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a suitable means for allowing the phonograph machine to be backed up without the needle 50 losing its proper groove. Supposing that the needle is partly through the record and that it becomes necessary to stop the machines and to back the phonograph machine in order to place it in synchronism with the kinetograph. I have shown an ordinary form of sound box 61 mounted upon the sound arm 62 which connects with the horn or other equivalent member 63. The sound box 61 may be raised so as to raise the needle 50 as the record at any time; but, if the needle (is raised off the record to back the record, the proper groove is lost and the phonograph could not be then set in synchronism with the kinetograph. I provide a small auxiliary needle which points backu'ardl in a direction opposite to that of Vhen the next scene is needle 50, along the record and which may be pressed down by a thumb button 54. to enter the groove in which the needle stands, the needle 53 being in proper relation to the needle 50 for this purpose. A small spring 55 may normally hold the needle 53 up ofi the record. A small spring catch 56 may be used to hold the needle 53 in either its lowermostor uppermost position. When it is desired to back the record 31, the button 5t is pressed down and the needle 53 enters the groove in which the needle 50 stands. \Vhile the button 5+1 is held down so as to hold the needle 53 in the groove, the reproducer is raised by the finger until the catch 56 engages over thecollar 57 on the needle. The needle 53 will then be held by the weight of the sound box in the proper groove and the record may be moved in the direction opposite to that indicated. When the record has been moved to proper position, the sound box is pushed down and the needle 53 raised, care being taken that the point of the needle 53 is not removed from the groove until the point of needle enters the groove again.

In the present embodiment of my invention, I arrange the machines so that the counters will give indications suflicientlyv accurate to set the machines in synchronism so close that no discrepancy can be detected. In this embodiment the commutator 39 is geared to revolve at almost twice the speed of the table 30. The counter indicates whole revolutions and such fractions that it will give an indication for about every half inch or less of peripheral travel of the sound record. The film is exposed at the rate of about sixteen exposures per second.' I have found that a discrepancy amounting to as 1nuch as one half inch peripheral travelcan be detected byone skilled in the art, while a discrepancy of an inch of travel is apparent to any one and spoils the production. The counters are sutliciently accurate to allow setting of the two records within these limits, and'my synchronous motor drive is accurate far within these limits. I may use any form of counterwhich will accomplish results of the desired accuracy.

Having described a preferred form of my invention, I claim 1. In combination with a phonograph having a record with a sound groove and a main needle following said groove, a depressible auxiliary needle carried by said phonograph adjacent said main needle,

resilient normal elevating means for said auxiliary needle, retainlng means for the auxiliary needle when depressed with lts oppositely tracking point arranged in the record groove of the main needle.

2. In combination with a phonograph machine and a kinetograph machine and a connecting mechanism for causing synchronous operation of said two machines by causing operation of the kinetograph machine from the phonograph machine, said phonograph machine including a record and a record following needle engaging therewith, means to render said connecting mechanism inop-. erative so that motion of the kinetograph machine may be arrested independently of thephonograph machine and so that each machine may then be operated independently of the other, motion indicators connected one to each of said machines and each adapted to indicate motion of its respective machine with reference to a fixed starting point, and a depressible auxiliary needle adjacent said phonograph needle slanting oppositely therefrom and having its point normally arranged directly above the record groove in which the phonograph needle is positioned.

3. In combination with a phonograph machine having a record with a sound groove and a needle following said groove, supporting means for said needle, and a depressible auxiliary needle adjacent said phonograph needle slanting oppositely therefrom and having its point normally arranged directly above the record groove in which the phonograph needle is positioned.

4. In combination with a phonograph having a record with a sound groove and a main needle following said groove, a supportfor said needle, an auxiliary needle having a rearwardly directed point longitudinally shift-ably mounted upon said support, resilient elevating means adapted for normally holding said auxiliary needle above the record, a push button for said auxilary needle and a retaining catch for said auxiliary needle when depressed, whereby the same is maintained in the adjacent record groove with the main needle elevated.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 22 day of June, 1914.

ORLANDO n. KELLUM. 

